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WILKES-BARRE - City police and U.S. Marshals fatally shot a wanted man in a dramatic gunfight Friday morning at the Sherman Hills Apartments as they closed in to arrest him on attempted murder charges out of Philadelphia, authorities said.

Robert Montgomery III started firing upon seeing police, wounding Wilkes-Barre police Sgt. Matthew Stash in the right leg, police said. Stash, 44, and others returned a flurry of bullets, killing the 29-year-old Philadelphia man who had been taking refuge at his father's fifth-floor apartment in the complex's high-rise building, investigators said.

"An individual that was certainly a career criminal made a bad choice, and unfortunately that person had to pay the price," Wilkes-Barre police Chief Gerard Dessoye said. "And more unfortunately, one of my officers was injured."

Stash, a 17-year veteran of the force and the department's Violent Persons Apprehension Unit (VIPER) commander, had surgery Friday afternoon in the hospital and is expected to fully recover, officials said.

Authorities said Montgomery, who has eight prior criminal convictions for crimes including robbery and assault, was being sought by Philadelphia police for a late-August shooting that critically wounded another man. U.S. Marshals learned he was staying with his father at Apartment 5104 at Sherman Hills and set up an operation to arrest him just after 8 a.m. Friday. When they knocked on the door, the suspect's father, Robert Montgomery Jr., answered. He cracked open the door.

"When asked if his son was present, he began stalling officers," Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said.

Stash then saw the younger Montgomery on a makeshift bed on the living room floor. Stash pulled the elder Montgomery, 61, into the hallway and demanded the fugitive show his hands.

"The younger Montgomery, lying under a blanket, immediately began to open fire at officers, including Sgt. Stash, who was shot in the leg while diving into an adjoining room to avoid the gunfire," Salavantis recalled.

A barrage of returning gunfire by Stash and others killed Montgomery III, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Montgomery's father was shot in the torso during the shootout, believed to be hit by a bullet from his own son's gun, authorities said.

"I was awakened by gunfire - a whole hell of a lot of shotguns," said Jean Bayyoud, 34, who lives several doors down. "It was a little bit of a rude awakening. It was scary."

She took a look outside her apartment, detected an overwhelming gunpowder smell and saw a host of heavily armed officers, ammunition casings and a blood trail.

Police said fellow officers carried Stash from the building. He and Montgomery Jr. were taken to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township.

Stash was in good spirits and was asking about the fellow officers involved in the operation, Dessoye and Salavantis said after visiting Stash in the hospital.

Montgomery, who police say may be charged with hindering his son's apprehension, was in serious condition, authorities said.

State police investigators who processed the scene found a handgun near Montgomery III's body and determined outgoing bullets "pierced the door and several walls where officers were located," Salavantis said.

Salavantis said all the officers acted appropriately and cleared them of any wrongdoing, a determination that usually takes days or weeks in fatal shootings involving police.

"It was a clear-cut case," Dessoye said. "It wasn't our choice. It was an individual who made a horrifically horrible choice."

Martin Pane, the U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, praised the work of his deputies and city police.

"Let's face it, anytime you're looking for a person wanted for attempted homicide you need to be mentally prepared and, in this case, they were," Pane said. "I'm very proud of how all of these officers acted to defend themselves."

Dessoye said Stash is one of his most fearless officers and was proud of his heroic efforts Friday.

"He is the tip of my spear. He didn't become the commanding officer of the VIPER Unit by accident. It's no surprise to me he was involved in the actions today. He's often the first one through the door," Dessoye said. "Even after being wounded - I think this is the most significant part of today - even after Sgt. Stash was severely injured, shot solidly through the leg, he still continued to return fire and fight. That speaks volumes of the kind of individual he is. He is always on the front line."

In his long career, Dessoye has been on both sides of the bullets. Before Stash, Dessoye was the last Wilkes-Barre police officer shot by a suspect in the line of duty. His face and head were peppered with pellets from shotgun blasts during a hotel drug raid 1991. Dessoye also shot and killed a man in 1986 in a hostage situation, something he has said is harder for him to deal with than being shot.

In a prepared statement through a spokesman, Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton said the incident is "a stark reminder of the dangers that our police officers face on a daily basis to protect the people of this city."

"There is no such thing as a routine police action. We are thankful that Sgt. Matthew Stash was not seriously wounded and that no other injuries were sustained by our police officers," Leighton said. "Our police today exemplified the courage that defines our department."

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2055, @cvbobkal

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